Although more than half of the world's Muslims live in Asia, most books on contemporary Islam focus on the Middle East, broadly overlooking the dynamic and diverse presence of Asian Islam in regional and global politics. In this book, terrorism and its effects are placed within the broader context of Muslim politics and the ways in which Islamic ideals and movements have shaped Asian Muslim societies.

"In essays that discuss contemporary Muslim politics from Pakistan and India to Indonesia and Thailand, the contributors to this collection enrich our perception. They reveal an Asian Muslim politics of great challenge but also enormous opportunity. The result is a timely and important book that should be read by scholars and the general reader interested in understanding the true diversity of the Muslim world."—Robert Hefner